Commercial Kitchen

21Mar

This multi-use, commercial kitchen needed updating in more ways than one. Its narrow galley design, hard to reach cabinets and shelves, limited counter space, outdated appliances, and accessibility issues all needed an overhaul. The kitchen endures frequent use by church staff and congregation members alike for events such as: after-service breakfasts, holiday gatherings, potlucks, and group events. A key design challenge was understanding where and how to expand the kitchen in order to house all the appliances and attain the most useful space. Before, the kitchen was in a small room with a service counter looking out into a large meeting space. Over time, the kitchen began to take over a storage room to gain extra space as overflow for appliances.

Kitchen Before

A storage room just behind the kitchen was an ideal area to expand into. We used this space to lengthen the kitchen, which allowed us to add a central island and pantry. With the newly designed space, the kitchen is efficient, and suitable to withstand heavy foot traffic, food preparation and storage needs. It features two refrigerators, a deep freezer inside the pantry, an ice maker, a dishwasher, a microwave, a washer/dryer combo, a large single bowl stainless steel apron front sink, a prep sink, and two ranges.

A roll-up door creates privacy and noise control between the large fellowship room and the kitchen. Another feature that improved the functionality of the kitchen was two access doors, one through the hallway and the other through the fellowship room.